How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence

LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2021One of the best books ever written about intelligence analysis and its long-term lessons. Brilliant lucid and thought-provoking Christopher Andrew author of The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5An invaluable guide to avoiding self-deception and fake news Melanie Phillips The TimesFrom the former director of GCHQ learn the methodology used by the British intelligence agencies to reach judgements establish the right level of confidence and act decisively.Intelligence officers discern the truth. They gather information - often contradictory or incomplete - and with it they build the most accurate possible image of the world. With the stakes at their absolute highest they must then decide what to do.In everyday life you are faced with contradictory incomplete information too. Reading the news on social media figuring out the next step in your career or trying to discover if gossip about a friend is legitimate you are building an image of the world and making decisions about it.Looking through the eyes of one of Britains most senior ex-intelligence officers Professor Sir David Omand How Spies Think shows how the big decisions in your life will be easier to make when you apply the same frameworks used by British intelligence. Full of revealing examples from his storied career including key briefings with Prime Ministers from Thatcher to Blair and conflicts from the Falklands to Afghanistan Professor Omand arms us with the tools to sort fact from fiction and shows us how to use real intelligence every day.